New York City Mayor, Eric Adams, recently announced one of the major highlights of the city’s 2025 budget, the $160 million investment to completely rebuild the 70-year-old Brownsville Recreation Center, providing a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility in Brooklyn. This comes on top of previous investments, such as the Parks Opportunity Program (POP), which offers low-income New Yorkers six-month paid opportunities and training programs to help maintain and operate city parks. Additionally, the budget allocates $15 million to hire 240 full-time maintenance and operations staff to provide a second shift of cleaning services at 100 hotspots in 62 public parks across all five boroughs.
The City Council passed the FY25 Budget last month. After the budget announcement, New Yorkers and park advocates praised the investments for enhancing public safety, rebuilding the economy, and making the city more affordable and livable. Funding for the “second shift” of park cleaning services is baselined in the FY25 Adopted Budget.
“We came into office with a clear mission: protect public safety, rebuild our economy, and make our city more affordable and livable for working-class New Yorkers. Providing clean, vibrant public spaces, especially in overlooked neighborhoods like Brownsville, helps us continue to deliver on that mission,” said Mayor Adams. “Our $160 million investment in the Brownsville Recreation Center will transform this 70-year-old complex into a state-of-the-art community space in Brooklyn. We’re also investing $15 million in a second cleaning shift at parks in all five boroughs, fulfilling our promise of a safer, cleaner, more livable city.”
The Brownsville Recreation Center, opened as a city facility in 1955, will undergo a complete demolition and reconstruction due to significant damage and deterioration found during preliminary work on a previous $20 million renovation announced in 2016. The new facility will be designed with extensive input from the Brownsville community, and NYC Parks will work with the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) to build the new space efficiently. During the multi-year demolition, planning, design, and construction period, NYC Parks will provide interim spaces in Brownsville to ensure residents have uninterrupted access to recreational classes and resources.
This investment is part of the Adams administration’s commitment to under-resourced communities like Brownsville. In July 2023, Mayor Adams and the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force released “A Blueprint for Public Safety,” with over $485 million in investments to offer early interventions for young people, increase employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, improve housing security, provide easier access to public benefits, bolster community institutions, connect people to mental health services, and strengthen police-community relations. In March 2024, Mayor Adams launched Jobs NYC, a multi-pronged effort to reduce economic opportunity barriers and deliver workforce development services across the five boroughs, including monthly hiring halls in areas with high unemployment.
NYC Parks’ second shift program aims to improve cleanliness and quality of life by providing additional cleaning services at 100 hotspots in 62 parks across the five boroughs. This initiative will deploy 240 new maintenance and operations staff from Thursday to Monday to ensure cleaner parks and public restrooms and combat the city’s rodent problem. This program is part of the broader “Trash Revolution” effort to remove black trash bags from streets and into containers. By November 12, 2024, Mayor Adams and Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch will have required the city to containerize 70 percent of New York City’s 14 billion pounds of annual trash.
“It is often said that a budget is a statement of values. The Brownsville Recreation Center has been such a valuable and important center of activity for our young people, so it follows that this year’s budget includes $160 million to renovate, revitalize and rebuild the BRC,” said U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “The residents of central Brooklyn deserve nothing less than the finest recreation center in the world and this funding is an important step towards bringing that to life.”
NY State Assemblywoman, Nikki Lucas, stated, “Thank you to Mayor Eric Adams for his commitment to delivering on his promises. This $160 Million investment will help to foster an environment where our youth can aspire to their dreams and our seniors can embrace a new, activity-filled chapter of their lives. The Brownsville Recreation Center (BRC) stands as a beacon of opportunity for our community, promoting socialization, networking, and communication, which authentically reflects our identity. The addition of a maintenance team with extended hours will not only keep the area clean but also create local employment opportunities. The BRC serves as a crucial nexus connecting Brownsville, East New York, and Flatbush—areas that have long been overlooked for significant financial investments. This initiative marks the beginning of a new era of inclusion and equity, and I am eager to work with all partners involved as well as community members, to make sure the BRC has everything it needs to serve the entire community.”
“Investing in our city’s future means investing in our communities. I commend Mayor Adams and Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi for their commitment to rebuilding the historic Brownsville Recreation Center and enhancing sanitation services across 62 parks citywide,” said New York State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud. “These investments reflect our dedication to a cleaner, safer, and more vibrant New York City.”
“The Brownsville Recreation Center has been central to my community for decades. It has been a safe haven for 70 years, served as a food distribution center during the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a learning lab for students,” said New York State Assemblywoman Latrice Walker. “The city’s investment in the complete renovation of the BRC is welcome news that I cannot wait to share with the community of Brownsville, where I was born and raised.”
